Meg Munn (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Sheffield, Heeley, Labour)

I am somewhat relieved, Mr. Gale, that I have not made a mistake. This being my first Committee as a Minister, I rather thought that I would be the one to do so.

Clause 1 establishes the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. The new commission will replace the three existing equality commissions—the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission, and the Equal Opportunities Commission. It will also, for the first time, adopt responsibility for the new areas of discrimination law, under sexual orientation and religious belief regulations, which were introduced in 2003, and of age regulations, which will be introduced next year. It will also promote human rights.

The commission will champion equality and human rights for all and is an important element of our vision for a fairer and more prosperous society. We have consulted extensively since October 2002, when the Green Paper, “Equality and Diversity: Making it Happen”, was published. We listened carefully during the consultation and have refined and developed the proposals in partnership with key stakeholders.

Business, our public services and existing equality organisations and human rights interests widely support the establishment of the CEHR. Our existing arrangements for equality and human rights have served us well in the 40 years or so since we first legislated to make discrimination unlawful. Since then, social and demographic changes have changed our patterns of work, of public service provision, of family life, and of relationships between communities. Social and demographic transformations will continue to provide new challenges in future.

The Bill puts in place arrangements that can address those future challenges, including creating a new commission fit for modern Britain. Building on the legacy and learning from the past, the new commission will be better. It will have greater impact by being a powerful and authoritative single voice that fosters a culture in which challenging discrimination and promoting fairness are the norm. It will have greater relevance for individuals, for employers, for business and for public bodies and voluntary organisations at national and regional levels through its duty to consult stakeholders.

Putting all expertise on equality and human rights in one place will create greater ease of access and will benefit employers, service providers and individuals.   Enforcement capabilities, too, will improve as a result of the adoption of a more coherent approach using modernised and more flexible powers. The establishment of the CEHR is a vital part of our commitment, which we set out in our manifesto, to enable all individuals in our society to realise their full potential, to secure Britain’s economic prosperity and to nurture and sustain a society at ease with itself.

Eleanor Laing (Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Scotland; Epping Forest, Conservative)

The clause is one of the welcome general clauses on which there is consensus. We welcome the establishment of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, and I concur with all that the Minister has said.